Community-Based Solutions Mass Incarceration in the U.S

1 Part 3: Community-Based Solutions to the Problem The issue of mass incarceration in the U.S. is a big problem in the administration of justice and protecting the welfare of minority groups, specifically African Americans. The legacy of slavery has permeated the justice system in the U.S., contributing to the high and disproportionate incarceration of people of African descent (Federal Bureau of Prisons. 2022). The problem of mass incarceration can be managed through a variety of community-based strategies (Tucker, 2012). One of the community strategies to address the problem is the use of restorative justice to address crime. The community initiates and leads the talks between the offender and the victims to help them repair the damaged relationship and restore normalcy between the affected parties. Restorative justice can also incorporate offender rehabilitation as a community justice strategy that helps reform criminals and people with behavioral challenges. Drug and substance abuse are some factors associated with the skyrocketing number of incarcerated people in the U.S., particularly African Americans (Aseltine, 2018). Since the war on drugs was launched in the 1970s, the population of inmates has risen exponentially, with most incarcerated persons requiring rehabilitative services rather than imprisonment (Tate, 2019). The construction of community rehabilitation centers to reform persons suffering from drug and substance abuse and mental health issues that predispose them to criminal living is handy in addressing the problem of mass incarceration in the U.S. Strengths Restorative justice helps to reconcile parties to conflicts, helping society to stay intact united, and peaceful. The problem of mass incarceration is exacerbated by unresolved differences within the community, underlining the importance of restorative justice in preventing future crimes (Rye et al., 2018). Through restorative justice strategy, the offender and victim are